MacPennys

Super walk. am tempted to send for some of those labels...

Your two blogs bring back memories I too started visiting a long time ago in fact quite a few of the Rhododendrons I show pics of originated there about 45 years ago I think, as I was still able to pack small trees and two boys in the back of the car.Still remember my first guided tour around the woodland by Mr D. Lowndes and thinking I want a bit of this,And I suppose I have now.
It was the lovely yellow maple I first purchased ,It has only recently come to an end.

BJS: When we visited the first time, Mr Lowndes Senior had just lost his dog and had named a plant "Lovely William" after him.

I remember thinking Mr Lowndes Senior was a "typical" gardener: keen to share his love of plants and to encourage newbies.

MacPenny's has grown over the years but that encouragement is still there.

Our children used to hate garden " centres" (nothing like the ones today), as just like yours they had to share the back seat with various shrubs. If we'd had to leave anything behind I sometimes think it would have been the children!!

Eirley
Don't remember the dog so maybe he had gone to doggy heaven before I started visiting
I came to go there first from being friendly with a local nurseryman Mr Osmond who grew many thousands of Heathers and supplied plants to MacPenny's I found out a long time later they had been at agricultural college together.

Now I have not heard of Mr Osmond. Is that George Osmond ? My OH is the one who seeks out the garden places and I often sit in the car and read, so he may know of him.

Garden centres are very different from the ones we visited many years ago. Then everything was grown from seeds and cuttings. Now the larger ones seem to import a lot from Holland.

We used to have lots of heathers in the garden as, living on the edge of Dorset heathland our soil is acidic. Oddly we lost a lot of our heathers and the ones that used to cover the heath are disappearing . The idea is to let the land revert to its "origins"!! Cattle, and horses, and deer are back to graze the areas.

There used to be lots of gorse and on a hot day you could hear them popping and there was a gorgeous smell of coconut in the air. After the 1976 fire ,(made the 9 o'clock news), the powers that be made wide swathes of
fire-breaks. These have wild flowers and nettles and are left to attract wildlife, then they are cut down to keep the place safe.

We learnt the hard way that plants and birds are not covered by insurance!

Yes i Remember the gorse popping all the time as a child there was lots around where I lived ,in fact forgot that did pop mind you with my hearing I probably be hard pushed to hear it now.
Yes that was George Osmond (and it should have read Horticultural college together)
he was great character very few of them around today,visits on evenings always ended with a pot of tea served from his large silver teapot mind you you would not know it was silver unless told as it was as brown outside as in .His nursery was his front room, house just to sleep in.
Happy days
B

Another great character here was a Mr Marchant whose nursery was called "Keeper's Hill". (It's now called Marchants Nursery, wholesalers.).

Mr Marchant used to grow unusual plants and we still have the lists of plants we bought from him in 1962/3. He was quite rough and ready but a real character who knew his plants. We have lots of shrubs and trees that came from him and, sadly, we have lost lots over the years.

If I remember rightly he told me he had supplied the actor Laurence Olivier with plants.

How nurseries and garden centres have changed!

Another Character we used visit was Percy Picton he for years worked in conjunction with Ballards the Michaelmas Daisy breeders at Colwall (near Malvern )that was Old Court Nursery,He was quite old when i first met him ( thats a joke he was probably ten years younger than i am now ) again one that was happier chatting than selling I remember there were as many weeds as plants as we walked through the paths and he would pull a handful out as we passed .Do you remember they planted many of the plants in what I would describe as black plastic bags .A few years elapsed before our last visit and he had put on a lot of weight and was not walking that well and used a fork as a walking stick and if you took a fancy to a plant he would spear the plastic bag with the fork to pick it up this saved him trying to bend down,did not do the roots a lot of good but the shillings you paid for good plants it was a minor risk .
Sadly he passed away a couple of years later and that broke the mould.
I think it is his or ballards granddaughter now have a thriving business there and exhibit at Malvern.

Percy Picton is unknown to us but he does seem to represent the "old gardener" of years gone by. They loved passing on tips and generously would give away free plants to me, and to the offspring. Today the garden centres are colourful, spacious, and sell items other than those intended for the garden; in fact I have been to many where the car park was full, the garden section empty, and the café really busy. Have to admit the (grown-) offspring prefer the places that way. I don't!

Agree
Fortunately I have about 3 miles from home the most unusual little garden centre you ever did wish to see Called the Chief Trading Post. Oldland .Bristol( look it up) It is quirky they sell bedding plants and Baskets but you often have to search for things they have there hidden away sometimes just two or three of any one plant, have know idea who there buyer is or where he purchases them.
the next bit I have pasted from a review as it sums it up well
“One of Bristol's hidden gems”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 April 2016
The Chief is both weird and wonderful, a cross between the prop store from Out of Africa and The Old Curiosity Shop but hidden in the centre is one of the greatest little eateries you'll ever find. From delicious sandwiches to scrumptious cakes and one of the best cups of coffee you could wish for, there is something to suit everyone..f Trading Post @ Oldland, Bristol.
That takes care of the food.Dotted around the whole area are life size bronzes of animals and people many have prices on them seating is everywhere so you can have coffee with Elvis or sit next to Rhino or Tiger, Jamie I sit along side Laurel and Hardy all life size. many have been there for years in fact ever since it opened probably 30 years ago others seem to sell quite quickly They are priced in thousands of pounds,the Rhino if I remember right is about £6.500 the stallions at the entrance appear not to be for sale.
If you still want to listen any more will add another twist to the story Do you remember the Brinks Mat Bullion Robbery 30 or so years ago well one of the gang was one John Palmer who lived again but a few mile away he was arrested and they found where he melted gold down but as he was gold dealer nothing was ever proved he was jailed for a while later for a big holiday apartment scams but the gold was never found and it was at his time he bought the chief trading post for his wife and the Stallions were put in position at the entrance,I wonder what might be in them or maybe they are not bronze,all my vivid imagination but as far as I know the police never checked them.lol

Brian
PS as far as I can see the web site does not show the stallions maybe I should take some pics
been raining hard all afternoon otherwise probably would not have wrote all that.

Brian: That's a great theory! Wonder if we have any policemen/gardeners who could check that out. Truth is stranger than fiction after all and it would make a thrilling TV drama.

S for Stallions; S for stolen!

B for Bronze; B for Bullion.

:O)

If we're ever in the Bristol area we'll certainly look out for that place.